Many years ago, humans, gods, and demons fought in a massive conflict known as the "Ragnarok War." As a result of this war, humanity was nearing extinction and a vast majority of the survivors were sent to live with the gods. These gods, or rather goddesses, created the massive continent above the ruined landscape of the surface world known as Yggdrasil where they lived in peace for countless years.
Meanwhile, back in the Utgardian Empire of the Demon World, a sudden announcement came from the current emperor Surt. As a man who ruled a world where Might Makes Right, he declares a challenge for his remaining heirs to take the throne. All participants must find the Heart of Yggdrasil, which could be just about anything, and bring it to him. Whoever does so, no matter what methods used and past transgressions were made, will be deemed next in line for the throne. This challenge utterly means an all-out declaration of war against Yggdrasil and the five goddesses who protect it, including their Chief God Odin. All five participants are eager for this challenge, especially one particular contestant.
Loki Muspelheim, head of the Muspellzheimr house, was once one of the top members eligible for the throne. One day, his father was suddenly executed for a crime he did not commit, his mother was imprisoned and his Dark Gear, a symbol of power and nobility, was stripped of its magic. Since then, he has lived in hiding within the walls of the castle, hiding in fear of the other nobles. However, this challenge marks an opportunity for him to regain his position in the demon nobility.
Armed with a rundown transport ship, a neigh-powerless Dark Gear, and a small army of still-loyal soldiers led by his Co-Dragons Garm and Fena, Loki sets off first in an early start to take the throne. After a rough landing onto the floating continent, Loki manages to establish a foothold thanks to the cooperation with the local populace. But that's not the least of his worries; besides the goddesses, he has to go through the other demonic heirs seeking for the throne, including Ymir, who treated him like a brother throughout the years. Loki will need all the support he can get to get the Heart and eliminate all those who stand in his way, even if it means he has to capture (and corrupt) the goddesses to do his bidding.
Although the game is listed as an adult visual novel, nearly all H-scenes are optional depending on the player's choices. After an initial failed attempt, the game finally succeeded in getting enough funds on Kickstarter
in 2018, which includes an all-ages variant of the game and a ton of new content for both versions. A demo is available here on JAST USA. The game was finished and released on Dec. 20, 2019.
The game includes the following tropes:
- All for Nothing: One of Loki's main goals is to be reunited with his imprisoned mother, who turns out to be Dead All Along.
- Beat the Curse Out of Him: Done in the Conquest Route. After True Odin resets the other goddesses to their default settings as soldiers devoted to slaying demons, Loki resorts to beating them again until they finally snap out of it, corrupted or not.
- Co-Dragons: Two of Loki's most trusted subordinates are Fena, his catgirl maid, and Garm, a wolfman captain who's an experienced sniper.
- The Corrupter: One of the staples of the Venus Blood series, but also one of the games where it's completely optional. Use of corruption will turn the goddesses into your loyal servants at the cost of divinity and other special endings.
- Darkest Hour: In the Reign Route, Surt obtains the Heart of Yggdrasil, who also has a new body thanks to possessing Loki's mother. Urtgard is floating in the air and on a collision course with Yggdrasil. Worse yet, everyone in both realms is terrified by the future collision that they've given into Surt, weakening the goddesses. And unless the right choices are made, Fena is killed in a Heroic Sacrifice.
- Decadent Court: This is inevitable in a world ruled by demons and Might Makes Right. Loki only had Ymir to avoid being another casualty as he sharpened his claws.
- Deity of Human Origin: The Season Goddesses were originally human, but their pure souls and love for their respective lands made them to chosen by Odin to reincarnate as goddesses.
- The Farmer and the Viper: Tyrca falling for Loki's Wounded Gazelle Gambit at the start of the invasion of Yggdrasil potentially leads to him dominating her and her allies and conquering both the Holy and Demon realms.
- The Four Gods: Setting the Chief God aside, the four Season Goddesses are set up like this.
- Freyja, goddess of autumn and ruler of the western kingdom of Folk.
- Thor, goddess of summer and ruler of the southern kingdom of Thurdvang.
- Rigret, goddess of winter and ruler of the northern kingdom of Glads.
- Tyrca, goddess of spring the ruler of the eastern kingdom of Edda.
- Frame-Up: Loki believes his father was framed for treason and his mother locked up for being affiliated with him. But it's Subverted; they attempted to defect to keep the Heart of Yggdrasil safe from the demons, and were stopped personally by Surt.
- Gender Flip: Some of the most famous gods and monsters from Norse Mythology, reimagined as either scantly-clad big-breasted babes or Token Mini-Moe characters.
- Idealist vs. Pragmatist: Loki and his assistant Fena doing what it takes to win. The goddesses of Yggdrasil are Tyrca, who is greatly concerned for her soldiers' well-being; Rigret, who overall hates fighting; Thor, who prefers a fair and even fight; and Freya, who puts diplomacy first. Chief Goddess Odin is somewhere off this chart.
- It Was with You All Along: The Heart of Yggdrasil was never on the continent; Loki’s key was it all along.
- Kissing Cousins: Hel, Fenrir, and Jorm are Loki's cousins (their mom was his aunt), but are still involved in some flirtatious scenes.
- Klingon Promotion: What succeeding the Dark Lord really amounts to since Surt never planned on giving up the throne anyway.
- Meaningful Name: While the game plays extremely fast and loose with the original myths, there is some thought put into the names. For example, Loki's cousins and fellow rivals are all named after the mythological Loki's family — Ymir was the ancestor of all Frost Giants, which Loki partly is, and Hel, Fenrir, and Jorm were all Loki's children. Of course, in the original tales, the latter two were male — and, you know, giant monsters.
- Mind Rape: If a corrupted goddess is further disciplined, they can end up with their sanity in tatters, but capable of unleashing devastating powers.
- Multiple Endings: How you interact with the goddesses and make your choices within Order Versus Chaos decisions, plus whether you recruited all of Loki's cousins and/or prevented Fena's sacrifice, can all affect the ending of a run.
- Naughty Tentacles: Another staple of the franchise. In the adult version, Loki corrupts the Goddesses mainly through the liberal use of these.
- In a humorous nod to this, tentacles are one of the many units you can recruit. Their character description calls them "the secret protagonist of the VB series," and they're especially effective against female units.
- New Game Plus: Beating the game once will unlock multiple features, such as carrying over levels, starting with goddesses already awakened/corrupted, and disabling all special skills for both allies and enemies.
- Order Versus Chaos: Other than how you interact with the other characters, there are also these types of choices you can make in event cutscenes between Peace (Order) and Conquest (Chaos) that affect the ending.
- Path of Inspiration: Also blends with Apocalypse Cult. Ymir created one by preaching The End of the World as We Know It and the chosen few would live in a new holy land, and became his army of fanatics thanks to signing his Dark Gear that forces them to obey him. In an ironic twist, not only does The End of the World as We Know It almost happen, but Ymir's promised land wasn't far off the mark of his real objectives.
- Porn with Plot: The original game had an enormous amount of sex scenes — and also an intriguing storyline that changed depending on the decisions you made, as well as surprisingly deep strategy-based gameplay. The all-ages version removes the porn entirely, while still keeping the story and gameplay.
- The Power of Love: Opposite the Superpowered Evil Side upgrades, mingling with the goddesses enough without having them give in to corruption unlocks a powerful "Awakened" state. In the Updated Re-release, if they also have high Affection for Loki, this can unlock new unit variants that can be used alongside the original goddesses.
- Private Military Contractors: Edda relies on these in replacement of a proper army, complete with advanced training and equipment. Loki turns this against the guild by recruiting them himself along with many underground groups to build up an army within Yggdrasil.
- Really 700 Years Old: Technically extends to every goddess and demon, who all live centuries, but special note goes to Lord Odin, the oldest Goddess and creator of the other four, who physically looks to be the same age as her youngest daughter, Rigret. In-Universe, it's because she used up much of her divine power during Ragnarok. Depending on the route you choose, you can bring her back to her original form.
- Recurring Element: While it always existed, this entry of the Venus Blood series firmly established things that would be seen in the rest of the franchise: A anti-heroic protagonist who can either be played as a Guile Hero or as a Villain Protagonist, a Chaos/Order karmic system and rival kingdoms/queens to take down during the main campaign.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Surt invokes this trope among his heirs as they compete for the throne.
- Sadly Mythtaken: This game isn't exactly a faithful adaptation of Norse Mythology.
- Self-Censored Release: The all-ages version. Consenting adults can also get the uncensored version if they so desire.
- Stripperific: The Goddesses all wear much less after being corrupted — and many of them weren't wearing much, to begin with. The female demon heirs also tend to have scant wardrobes, but Fenrir, a succubus, takes the cake. This was originally an adult game, after all.
- Superpowered Evil Side: When the goddesses are corrupted enough to go Mad, they can unlock insanely powerful abilities that could devastate opposing armies.
- Superpowered Alter Ego: Loki's trump card, Hvedrung. According to the artbook, Hvedrung is actually Loki's future self, or at least a possible future self, who briefly replaces the present Loki when he's summoned.
- The Cake Is a Lie: As Ymir realized from the start, Surt never planned to name a successor. He just wanted his heirs to do all the fighting so that he could obtain the Heart himself.
- There Can Only Be One: Only one can bring the Heart of Yggdrasil to the Dark Lord to claim the throne.
- Tragic Keepsake: The key Loki got from his mother, shortly before she was imprisoned for life. He keeps it on him at all times and tends to hold it in his hand for comfort. Turns out it was a good thing he did this because it's also a...
- Transformation Trinket: Turns out the key wasn't just an heirloom — it also has the power to change the demon prince into his Superpowered Alter Ego, Hvedrung.
- Uncle Sam Wants You: A promotional image for the International Updated Re-release has Loki in this pose, with the statement "Loki wants YOU for his army - recruitment stations in Edda".
- Unwitting Pawn:
- Loki, all so that the demons could power up the Heart of Yggdrasil and gain its power.
- The three granddaughters were also wrapped up in Ymir’s machinations.
- Warrior Prince: All five demons participating in the war are this to an extent. They need to be if they want to obtain the Heart of Yggdrasil and confront the goddesses.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Loki doesn't begin with an army at his call like his cousins, so his plan to infiltrate Yggdrasil is to arrive on a badly-battered airship and claim to the resident goddess that he's a refugee seeking shelter, relying on her kindness in order to establish a foothold for his conquest.
- Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: After learning that the Heart of Yggdrasil was with Loki all along, it turns out that Surt never planned on giving anyone the throne once he obtained it. Therefore, Loki and the others have to personally defeat Surt to name a successor.
